AT A DISADVANTAGE – Gov. Scott and his team were up in Quebec examining business and trade opportunities between the two regions, and at this week’s press conference he said that Vermont continues to be at a disadvantage to some states.
At his weekly press conference, Gov. Phil Scott highlighted new economic opportunities for Vermont — and hurdles — that came from a recent visit with Quebec business leaders.
The administration had recently visited the Aero Montreal exhibition, after which the governor said a new aerospace company is interested in setting up operations in Vermont. However, he added that company leaders may seek to locate to a more tax-friendly state — even if that means traveling farther while still based in Quebec.
“They are looking to expand into the U.S. and they are looking at Oklahoma. And it’s because of the tax advantages in Oklahoma, and a lot of other advantages as well,” Scott said.
To get new aerospace companies to commit to Vermont, airports are going to need runway expansions, water/sewer infrastructure upgrades, and warehouse space in some cases. The governor said Vermont may not be able to take in all the opportunities that are now available.
“Some of the challenges, they are very aggressive,”Scott said. “They want to move quickly, they would like to have the warehouse space if they are going to move and they want to have it this year, and we just don’t have all the space that could accommodate some of them.”
Commitment to electric cars
The governor also talked about how he will support following California’s move to ban gas engine consumer car sales by 2035.
Currently, EVs start at least $27,000 with federal tax credits of up to $7,500 factored in. Elon Musk, the owner of Tesla and a pioneer in promoting the EV market, has warned that EVs could double the world’s demand for electricity.
The governor is, nonetheless, convinced that EVs in conjunction with other new technologies will be the future.
“Well again I’m a big proponent of electric vehicles; we’ve taken a number of steps in that area,” he said.
Scott expressed some reservations that it will be a smooth transition. In particular, he mentioned that major investments in grid upgrades are still necessary, that alternatives such as hydro-powered motor vehicles also need to be considered.
“I don’t agree that it’s going to be all EVs in the future by the way,” he said. “I think hydrogen still has some promise and we’ll see what happens in that regard.”
Governor speaks on childcare public investments
As federal assistance in childcare winds down back to pre-COVID era levels, the governor was asked by a reporter if he would commit to previous statements that childcare should not cost more than 10% for any Vermont family. He said it’s a policy goal but not a promise.
“I don’t believe that families can afford to spend more than that,” he said. “So we obviously have to work with the legislature on this and we have to find a source to fund. But something has to give because I’m not interested in raising another broad-based tax to do this.”
He reminded listeners that whenever the state commits to one initiative, there has to be a cost elsewhere.
“If you only have a certain amount of money to use for this regard, you have to prioritize,” he said. “And we may have to live without something else in order to accomplish this.”
No speed trap cameras for now
It’s been reported that there’s been excessive speeding, especially on the highways, with up to 60% of offenders driving at over 90 mph. A reporter asked if this means Vermont might experiment with cameras that can track speed, record license plates, send warnings, and even send tickets. The governor said it’s being looked into but not likely for the immediate future.
“I don’t think there is an appetite in the legislature to do this,” Scott said, adding that he has personally noticed an increase in speeding on highways.
“I’m out on the roads a lot now and traffic speeds have increased dramatically,” he said.
Michael Bielawski is a reporter for True North. Send him news tips at bielawski82@yahoo.com and follow him on Twitter @TrueNorthMikeB.
In spite of this link below Phil Scott decided to vote for the destruction of our country by casting a vote for Joe Biden
https://justthenews.com/nation/culture/director-my-son-hunter-says-he-made-movie-because-biden-scandals-are-underreported
Really, you mean he just found this out. Maybe he just read it in a newspaper or saw it on tv. Sheesh!
If there is a road where 60% of people are going over 90, it ought to be easy for the police to stop it. But then we don’t have enough police and the liberals are the cause of that. — They could also just put in speed bumps.
the rest of what scott said is just more liberal nonsense. He knows the problems are called Big Government, and hasn’t done anything to stop it.
Vermont needs a 50% cut in government headcount, a 50% cut in its overall budget, and a scrapping of hundreds of regulations to become business-friendly enough to turn the heads of entrepreneurs and settle their companies in Vermont.
The alternative is to continue to be a poor ward of the federal government
Exactly Willem, the government is too dam big for such a small
state and we need doer’s in the government instead of dreamers..
We use to be governed by farmers and business people now we’re ruled by dreamers who for the most part never did a days
honest work and are incapable of solving problems, only creating them. Without a change in voting direction there will be no change
in the state of the state’s direction…slippery slope down hill..kalifornia here we come..
Talking in circles brings you back to where you started. Nothing of substance here just more babbl from Windsock Scott.
Phil Scott, what a ” genius ” and he wonders why people won’t stay or why they
move to ” Tax” friendly states, what he doesn’t understand if they keep the money
they make, they will spend it ” booming economy ” here, but when you tax them
to death ……………. they’re gone.
Maybe the Governor should talk to these the Governors running these states and
see how these states are run, and you know they are run by ” Real Conservatives ”
wake up people November is just around the corner make the right decision !!
Vermont has a ” Cancer ” it’s called Progressive DemocRATs.
Scott has become infected with RE “idiot-think”, masquerading as economic policy, kept afloat with multiple subsidies “to make it work”.
Don’t worry, Europe has shown us how wind and solar and batteries and a whole lot of other RE nonsense, such as mandated for EVs, with electricity prices going out of sight, led to its present disaster.
Europe has been, and will continue to be in a decline, unless it wakes up real quick.
Willem,
Yes, “idiot-think” has also been labeled as “idiotism”. In any case, this winter will be a harrowing experience in the EU, not felt since the end of WWII. It can also happen right here in Vermont.
The entire debacle is coherently assessed in this interview:
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2022/09/15/interview-of-professor-laszlo-szarka-by-prof-franco-battaglia/
The spin on this self-induced energy terror will be incredible, to say the least.
Yiragach and Willem,
Lets all not forget that Donald Trump the mean Tweeter warned them of this.
I mean what could happen was very clearly stated and that is just what happened.
But they wouldn’t listen to Orange Man Bad.
And look at what did happen!!
It was quite a bit of common sense really that Donald said to them.
“You don’t put your eggs all into one basket” is as simple as it gets and it’s quite wise. But yet they didn’t want to listen and worse, Russia owns their basket.
I said the same thing as Donald many times in my life as we grew to do more and more business with Communist China.
When we went to school and the schools were actually teaching us, we were taught that a Communist nation was about the worst thing there was- and rightfully so.
“Thinking the Chinese changed” has turned out to be about as accurate as climate change.
We’ve let truly delusional people gain power.. then they lie non-stop because that is all part of being delusional.
There are many core things on this planet that simply DO NOT Change.
Then dumbed down gullible people believe all this baloney because they think they are listening to smart people -not psychopaths.
Next thing you know, you are left out in the cold when your fantasyland turns out to be just that..now you see you can’t fight REALITY…
So why not live there- in Reality?
There are many, many plans in place now that they are trying to force upon the planet that are based upon fantasy, supported by fake, contrived “science” -there as nothing but a means to support all their baloney they come up with.
This is how you wind up where Germany is right now..and more people will die- as they always do because the elected were wrong.
SOOOOOO, FIX IT!!!!!